The Constitutional Convention of 1787 was held in strict secrecy. Consequently, anxious citizens gathered outside Independence Hall when the proceedings ended in order to learn what had been produced behind closed doors. The answer was provided immediately. A Mrs. Powel of Philadelphia asked Benjamin Franklin, "Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?" With no hesitation whatsoever, Franklin responded, "A republic, if you can keep it." ~ BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 1787

Special Edition : Surveillance

Corporate Enemies

Hacking
Team describes its lawful interception products as "offensive
technology" and has been called into question over deliveries to Morocco
and the United Arab Emirates. The company’s "Remote Control System,"
called DaVinci, is able, it says, to break encryption on emails, files
and Internet telephony protocols.... Read More

American
Company Blue Coat, specialized in online security, is best known for
its Internet censorship equipment. This equipment also allows for the
supervision of journalists, netizens and their sources. Its censorship
devices use Deep Packet Inspection, a technology employed by many
western Internet Service Providers to manage network traffic and
suppress unwanted connections.... Read More

Amesys
sold its EAGLE spyware to Libya while Muammar Gaddafi was still in
power. It was used to spy on journalists and human rights activists
there. As a result, the company is now being sued in France by the
International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) for complicity in
torture. The lawsuit is still pending.... Read More

Gamma
International offers advanced spyware, which has repeatedly been
discovered in countries who mistreat journalists, like Bahrain and the
United Arab Emirates. The Finfisher Technology sold by Gamma
International is able to read encrypted files, emails and listen in to
voice over IP calls. Among the targeted was Ala'a Shehabi, a journalist,
university lecturer and activist from Bahrain, now living in London....
Read More